Sunshine and Ice
by ravenwritingclaw
Summary: It's been six months and Queen Elsa receives a letter from the Southern Isles. Arendelle has a new, handsome visitor who has something important he needs to tell Ms. Elsa. Please read and review!


**Author's Note:** Elsa is such a wonderful character, and she doesn't need a man but I felt like she needed a friend. Who could later be a man friend, if you know what I mean. I may write more of these two later! Enjoy, leave a review!

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Queen Elsa stared at the crinkled parchment with the royal seal of the Southern Isles plastered on the bottom. She took a deep breath, willing the paper to refrain from being covered in ice, and read over the words again.

_It my greatest desire to meet you and apologize in person for my little brother's horrendous behaviour. I know my parents sent an envoy, but I don't believe that does it justice. If it pleases you, I will be in your kingdom within a few weeks. _

Elsa placed a hand to her pale forehead and sighed. The letter was addressed from nearly two weeks ago. He would be here soon, this mysterious prince, sixth in line for the throne of the Isles. Elsa did not like this at all. She leaned back in her navy blue chair and heard Anna's laughter flutter in from down the hall. Children's voices followed the young lady's.

There was a knock at her door. "Elsa?"

Her mind went back to that familiar knocking from her childhood. She cleared her throat. "Come in," she said quietly.

Anna stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. She had pink paint on her cheeks and her hands were speckled with yellow dots. Elsa raised an eyebrow at her messy sister. The princess blushed. "The kids got a little carried away with the craft class," she explained, tugging on her of her braids.

Elsa chuckled quietly. "I can see that. Did they have fun?"

The princess nodded vigorously. "Oh yes, they love it! Thank you, by the way. For approving it. I—it really helps when Kristoff isn't here. I get . . . well you know."

Elsa did know. Despite the progress the sisters' relationship was making, Anna was far closer to Kristoff, and when he had to leave for work, she often became bored. With Elsa's work, it was hard to occupy her sister's time, so the queen usually gave Anna a job to do. A fun one, to keep her from getting that sad, longing look she'd get when Kristoff wasn't around.

Anna raised an eyebrow. "What are you reading?"

"Oh," Elsa glanced at the page. "A letter. From the Southern Isles."

There was a flicker of pain in her sister's eyes. Elsa winced. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"No, no, it's okay!" Anna went over to her sister's crystal desk. "Is it from . . . him?"

"No! Goodness no. I would have torn it up if it was." Hans had tried once to apologize for his behaviour, but Elsa had thrown it in the fire once she saw it was his writing. Since then, he had been deemed mad by his parents and locked away, out of sight, out of mind.

Anna nodded. "Who then?"

"His brother. Halle. He's sixth in line, apparently. He wants to visit to properly apologize for what his brother did six months ago."

The princess nodded. "When will he be here?"

There was another knock on the door. "Queen Elsa, a ship from the Southern Isles has just docked. What would you like done with it?" Everyone, when they heard those two words, was weary. They had every right to be.

"Nothing. There is a visitor on board. I will come and greet them," she told the guard.

"Me too!" Anna added.

Elsa glanced at her freckled sister and raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You don't have to-"

Anna took Elsa's chilly hand, cutting off her big sister's words. The queen rose and the girls left the room together, following the guard to the docks.

Summer in Arendelle was beautiful. Elsa's skin warmed immediately, and she almost felt like Anna must all year. Warm. Happy. Elsa suppressed a small grin and instead squeezed the younger's hand. As they went, people bowed, greeted them by name. They weren't so afraid of their queen anymore. Elsa knew some still feared her power, and while she did all she could to make sure she gave them no further reason to, she knew memories lingered. Some would always hate her. She would just have to make the best of the situation.

_No more hiding._

Upon seeing the Southern Isles sigil, a crowd had gathered on the docks. The people parted for the royal sisters, but a set of guards kept vigilant watch. Elsa folded her hands before her, keeping track of her breathing, as the wind ran its fingers through her white braid. The navy dress she wore cinched in at her waist and like the one made of ice from so long ago, a slit ran up her leg. She wore her mother's peals around her neck. Elsa felt the shoulder of her dress slide down her arm, revealing the creamy skin. _Well, first impressions aren't everything I suppose._

Halle and Hans looked similar, but there were distinctive differences. Halle was taller by a good three inches. He also had a beard. Neatly kept, mind you, but the ruddy hair was present all the same. He kept his hair in a short ponytail, and he looked more pirate than prince. Still, he dressed the part, in vibrant red and gold. He was handsome, terribly so. Elsa blushed then ordered herself not to. She took a deep breath. Halle's hazel eyes met hers and she swore the ice in her body paused.

The sixth prince made his way carefully down the plank. He didn't look at the crowd, nor Anna. He kept walking until he came to the queen. Once there, he bent down on one knee and bowed his head. "Queen Elsa, I am-"

"Prince Halle," she cut him off, her voice shaking. She cleared her throat, commanding herself to raise her voice. "I received your letter. It is good of you to come."

He raised his head and his eyes were on her again. "I apologize if you received it late. I did not think of the waiting time," he smiled sheepishly. "Would that I could take back what my brother did-"

She shook her head. "It might be best if we speak of this in private," she said, quieter.

Halle nodded. "You are right, Your Majesty."

_Call me Elsa._ She swallowed those words and instead extended her hand for him to kiss. "We'll have a ball tonight, to celebrate your arrival." Upon hearing that, the crowd cheered. Any excuse to get inside the castle walls, the people took. Not that Elsa could blame them.

Halle performed his princely duty and pressed his lips to the back of her hand. She felt . . . warmth. It bloomed on her skin and spread down her fingers. She curled her fingers back, trying to keep the warmth in as he stood, smiling at her. Her cheeks turned red again. She heard Anna giggle.

"My guards will escort you back to the palace, Prince Halle."

He bobbed his head. "Call me Halle, if it pleases you."

She nodded then turned on her heel. Anna was right behind her. "Well, he's certainly something to look at."

Elsa scoffed. "He's just a prince. They're all handsome."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Not always. He seems nice though, don't you think?"

The heat curled in the veins on her hands, spreading. "Yes. He is nice."

Anna smirked. "A party was a good idea. Can I do your hair tonight?"

Elsa wasn't really listening. She kept seeing him standing on that ship, his eyes on the water. She rubbed her hands together. "Yes, sure." She hadn't realized what she said until Anna was skipping down the lane. Elsa cringed. "No beads, Anna! Not like last time!"

The queen had forgotten how loud parties could be. It was halfway through the night and her feet, along with her head, were pounding. She had been stuffed into a navy gown, highlighted by lavender patterns on the bodice with red roses. She tugged on the long sleeves, weaving through the crowd to the balcony. Maybe she could catch her breath there.

Halle was there. His back was to her but she saw the glass of wine in one hand as the other rested on the marble finish of the balcony. She almost turned around, but he saw her before she could.

"Queen Elsa," he bowed his head. "Needed some fresh air?"

She nodded, unsure what to do. Her feet moved her to the balcony edge, both hands on the railing. Her braid was starting to come undone, but she didn't bother reaching back to fix it. She hadn't had her hair loose in years.

"I want to apologize, for Hans. For everything. If now is a good time."

Elsa stared at her gloved hands. "Now is fine," she replied stiffly. She had watched him all night dancing with courtiers, even Anna once. She talked his ear off about Kristoff. She watched him talk with dignitaries, she watched how his hands moved when he talked about something he was passionate about, like water. She had watched him all night, but he had watched her too. A flicker of a gaze here, a glance there, sometimes he stared at her blatantly. She wasn't sure how to feel about that.

Halle turned to face her, his eyes on her again, and it was hard to focus her gaze on him. She could hear Anna's voice in her head. _He's handsome, isn't he?_

"Hans abused a situation he didn't understand. He was thoughtless, selfish, and cruel. If he wasn't my brother, I would have hung him." He smirked. "I would have invited you to the event, if I thought you would come." He sighed. "I am sorry though, truly. Not for Hans; he doesn't understand what he did was wrong, he is so mad. Not for my parents; they think what they have done, sending an envoy, was enough. I am sorry, because I was supposed to go in his place, but my ship was caught in a storm. I couldn't get home in time, so Hans was sent instead."

Elsa's eyes widened. "What?" she whispered.

Halle ran a hand through his hair. "When I was young, I grew up hearing stories of two sisters trapped in a castle, one by choice, the other unwillingly. My brothers and I were told of their beauty and how one day, the castle would open and the sisters would be free." He chuckled. "My brothers thought it wasn't real, but I did. I memorized those stories, especially the parts about the princess who had to hide to keep her family safe." He tilted his head down to hold Elsa's gaze. "How she did what she thought was best, but it started to eat away at her, freeze her from the inside out."

She narrowed her eyes. "Those aren't what the stories said." _Monster. Creature. Evil. _That's what the stories said. She heard them all.

"That's how I interpreted them."

The queen pulled off her gloves and stuffed them in her pocket. She raised her hands and created the picture of a monster in the air. "That is what they think." She stabbed the air with another creature. _That is what Anna thought. Or what she should have._

Halle shook his head. "People are fearful of what they don't understand. I have seen creatures at sea that would terrify the most common of folk. They exist not to harm, but to survive. And you have survived, Majesty. You are thriving."

She didn't like his words. She shattered the pictures and stepped away from him. "Why did you come here?"

"It was my fault," he said, guilt lining his face. "Hans made a mess, but I could have prevented it."

She shook her head. "Did you freeze the kingdom?"

"No, but I might as well have."

"Stop saying that!" Her hands started to feel cold again, like blocks of ice. "Stop trying to take my shame away. It isn't your job to do that. It isn't anyone's! I did it, I locked myself up, I made my sister hate me, I froze the kingdom!"

Halle stepped towards her. "You saved the kingdom, too."

She shook her head. "It wouldn't have needed saving in the first place. If Anna was older-"

"You are what Arendelle needs, Majesty. You're their queen."

"Sometimes I don't want to be," she whispered. Why did she say that? She placed her hand against the railing, watching it turn to ice, slowly. She remembered her ice palace. Sometimes, late at night, she dreamed of it, and she wanted to go back there so badly. When the council wasn't listening, when her powers got out of control, scaring the servants, when she and Anna argued . . . _it would be so much easier if I wasn't here._

The kingdom had never stopped loving Anna. They never would. She was their sun princess, bringing light and love wherever she stepped. She had a man who adored her. She was safe. Elsa hated her sister's safety.

Halle placed his hand over hers. She expected him to say something, but he didn't. She liked that. The ice melted. She took a deep breath as the sounds of the party flooded back out to the balcony. Halle glanced over his shoulder at the lights coming from underneath the curtain. "You haven't danced tonight," he commented.

Elsa blinked. "No, I have not. I'm . . . not much of a dancer."

He smiled. "I am known more for my steering than footsteps," he chuckled. "Would you care to? Share a dance, I mean?"

"Here?"

"Would you prefer before a crowd?"

She laughed for the first time that day. "You make a fair point." She curtseyed. "I believe this is how we are supposed to start these things."

He chuckled with a bow. "I believe you're right, Majesty."

"Call me Elsa," she said as his hand came to her waist.

She realized she actually liked dancing. Who knew.


End file.
